By Liza Agoot
BAGUIO CITY – The Benguet Provincial Police Office (BPPO) on Wednesday vowed to sustain efforts to locate Patrolman Aaron Blas of Apayao, who has been missing for 44 days.
Maj. Edwin Sergio, BPPO public information officer, said there is no time limit for the search.
“We will continue the operation until we find our comrade,” Sergio said in an interview.
Blas was among the composite group of Cordillera police personnel undergoing the 60-day Basic Internal Security Operations Course at the Police Regional Office – Cordillera training camp in Itogon, Benguet.
The training began on July 1.
On July 14, Blas and fellow trainees left camp at 6 a.m. for a land navigation exercise.
He was discovered missing during attendance checks at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., prompting an immediate search. He was last spotted in the Zigzag area near Dam 2 inside the Philex Mining Corp. compound.
Four search-and-rescue teams composed of police personnel and volunteers are scouring the training site and surrounding areas.
The teams earlier expanded the radius beyond 1.5 km. but have since refocused on the initial zone, hoping to uncover missed clues.
To aid in the search, Blas’ family has offered a PHP200,000 reward for information leading to his location. (PNA)
